Egg Banking

[Guest ChalenAustin]

Anyone try it? Has it "paid off" x many years later?

What were your experiences and what would you take away form it to pass onto soemone considering it?

Thanks!

[Guest Pól]

I haven't, and I don't know much about it.

But isn't it insanely expensive like? Also, don't you have to flood your body with female hormones for awhile for the harvesting to work?

[Guest ChalenAustin]

I yu have to take estrogne for a minal of 3 weels injected in the abdomen, have regular bloodwork exams, and some vaginal sonograms screenings before you undergo minor surgery to retrieve the eggs before you get the period of the century. You are forced into a state of hyper-ovalation basically.

And it's about $12-$15,000.

I heard the success rate is only so good.

[Guest sarah f]

If you ever want kids in the future and can afford the procedure than I say go for it. That way it is your own kid and not someone elses.

Love,

Sarah F

[Guest ChalenAustin]

I know I did this with post with egg banking in mind but as a footnote what the heck is overian tissue freezing all about?

I don't get it but it's supposed to be good for guys on T for years who suddenly gave this a secound thought.

[Guest CharlieRose]

Unless you have $12,000 to spare, I wouldn't. We don't know a whole lot about the effects of testosterone on female reproductive organs, just that it might have harmful side effects over a long period of time. Fertility is definitely decreased the longer you are on it. How long constitutes "long" is totally up for experimentation, though. It's recommended by some that you have a hysterectomy 2-5 years after you start testosterone. But, it's not necessary to do that, in that it's not a requirement when you start testosterone, just a recommendation. There have been transmen who've been able to conceive after much longer periods than that. I've heard online of one guy who had a baby 9 years after he started, and Thomas Beattie had been on it for 8 years when he concieved (twice!). I don't know how common that is, though.

My recommendation would be to go on a low dose of testosterone for a moderate length of time, like six months to a year, then go on a regular dose for another six months to a year, and then, if you can handle it, go off. If you can't handle going off it entirely (because being on T is soooo awesome!) then maybe go on a low dose again, but I wouldn't stay on it for more than 4 or 5 years total. That way you can get the effects of testosterone, the permanent effects at least, and still have a decent chance at being able to conceive in the future. I've heard that if you're passable with testosterone, you'll probably be passable without. You'll keep the facial hair, deep voice, and any bone growth in your face.

The egg banking thing, as stated previously, is ridiculously expensive and not very reliable. Technically, the most reliable thing would be to stay off testosterone completely, but it's perfectly valid to not be satisfied with that option. I just think that the going on then going off plan makes the most sense, both because egg banking probably won't be worth it, and because it's not just your eggs that are affected by testosterone; parts of your uterus actually atrophy over time*. So if you bank your eggs and then go on T full blast for 10 years, you probably still won't be able to conceive, or at least, I wouldn't rely on it if having kids is really important to you.

Also, it's not impossible to conceive if you've been on testosterone, as stated in the examples before, but you should reconcile your decision to start or stay off with the risks. There is the possibility your female organs could develop something harmful on testosterone that requires that you have them removed two years in. There is also the possibility you could conceive after being on it for 6, 7, 8 or 9 years. (To put it in even more perspective, you could never go on T and still end up infertile) The future is full of unknowns. You just have to make your decisions for good reasons, be sensible, and hope for the best. You may have to change your plans, but even if you have a total hysterectomy, maybe you'll find someone you want to marry who already has a child, or maybe you'll find just as much happiness through adopting one in need. The future's full of options, too.

Footnote: I don't know that much about ovarian tissue freezing. If it's less expensive and more trustworthy, I suppose it is another option to keep in mind. It could even be used in conjunction with the on-off plan I detailed above. Even if your uterus doesn't work, someone else's might. (surrogacy) Lots of options to think about.

*Edit: So I misread the medical information I found about the effect of testosterone on a uterus; the part that atrophies is your endometrium, which is actually what is shed through menstruation every month. So it's not like your uterus will dissolve or anything. However, it does artifically induce a less fertile condition not unlike Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, with the effects worsening over time, so this post, as far as I can tell, is still accurate, just not about the uterus atrophying thing. My bad. Always remember that we're not doctors on here, or at least, I'm not, I just like to look stuff up. As I said, I believe the rest of this post is accurate, but I'm not a professional; you should talk to one if you want an answer and information to be sure of.

[Guest Nicodeme]

Footnote: I don't know that much about ovarian tissue freezing. If it's less expensive and more trustworthy, I suppose it is another option to keep in mind. It could even be used in conjunction with the on-off plan I detailed above. Even if your uterus doesn't work, someone else's might. (surrogacy) Lots of options to think about.

As mentioned in the thread where I was double-checking what my own reproductive options are, I mentioned freezing entire ovaries is a far less reliable way to go about it than freezing individual eggs. (Though all the needle-jabbing that comes with harvesting eggs can damage your ovaries...which is why I realized I don't plan to freeze my eggs or my ovaries. I didn't want to run the risk of damaging their ability to produce the hormones I'd need to maintain a pregnancy.) To my understanding, it's a little more expensive and I think the amount of successful births as a result of it can be counted on a single hand. (Though to be fair, it's not a very commonly used method.)

I would say, if you plan to keep your ovaries, and keep them functional, just go about using your testosterone carefully so you can minimize your risks of infertility and such. And as much of a pain in the [insert noun of choice] as I imagine it would be for most guys, if you wanna hang on to fertility, you should be seeing a gynecologist. (Granted, you should be seeing one when you're taking hormones, right? So they can monitor for any complications that arise from taking testosterone?)

*Edit: So I misread the medical information I found about the effect of testosterone on a uterus; the part that atrophies is your endometrium, which is actually what is shed through menstruation every month. So it's not like your uterus will dissolve or anything. However, it does artifically induce a less fertile condition not unlike Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, with the effects worsening over time, so this post, as far as I can tell, is still accurate, just not about the uterus atrophying thing. My bad. Always remember that we're not doctors on here, or at least, I'm not, I just like to look stuff up. As I said, I believe the rest of this post is accurate, but I'm not a professional; you should talk to one if you want an answer and information to be sure of.

Well...your endometrium kind of atrophies on its own...right? That's how your monthlies happen!

That's a huge relief, though. That fact-check pretty much got rid of the last remnants of "DO NOT WANT" I was feeling about the effects of testosterone.

Soul patch and sideburn city, here I come!